What Is A Tipped Employee?

According to the FLSA, a tipped employee is someone who works in a job in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. A tipped employee must still earn an hourly wage equal to the federal minimum wage level. If you are a tipped employee, your employer is only required to pay $2.13 per hour but you must be getting sufficient tips to earn the minimum wage.

If the employee’s tips, combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees.

Tips can be pooled among employees who customarily and regularly receive tips such as waiters, waitresses, bellhops, counter personnel (who serve customers), bussers, and service bartenders, but may not include employees who do not customarily and regularly received tips, such as dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and janitors.

Are you a tipped employee? Are you getting all your tips? Are you making minimum wage? If you feel you are not getting paid what you deserve I would like to hear your story?